The Darkest Light
by LucyCrewe11
Summary: After the last battle, things start to happen. Lucy falls for the last king of Narnia, Susan joins her family, and life just gets even more exciting. Goodbye shadowlands, hello new life! Lucy/Tirian Susan/Emeth on hiatus
1. the trouble with perfection

**AN: Yes this is the new muli-chapter, I've started. This is the first chapter. Hope you like. It takes place right after the last battle.**

"Mum! Father!" The two kings and their sister the queen ran towards their parents at a surprisingly fast speed.

Helen Pevensie blinked in surprise when she saw her three children standing before her in such splendor. They were dressed in the most beautiful clothing she had ever seen and they wore golden crowns on their heads. Surely she was dreaming. She looked to her husband wondering if he saw them too. He did, his mouth was open wide and his eyes looked like they were going to pop right out of his head.

"Children." Their father said. Though even he could see they were hardly 'Children' anymore. He simply didn't know what else to call them. "Where are we?"

"In Aslan's country." Peter told them. "We have died in the train wreck. And come here."

"But why here?" Their mother asked.

And so they told them of all the wonders of Narnia and all the adventures they had had. And how they knew of a great lion called Aslan whom Lucy was the closest too. Although it seemed like a fairytale, it was so true that their parents believed them at once.

"But darlings," Helen asked. "Where is Susan?"

All three of them hung their heads sadly. Edmund happened to glance at his brother for a moment and caught an expression that he didn't understand. It wasn't only an expression of sorrow. It was one of...guilt? but what was he guilty of? Surely nothing to do with Susan. It wasn't his fault that she wasn't a friend of Narnian anymore.

Later that evening, Lucy stood on the great golden-gated hill looking out over everything with her new eyes. She never grew tired of it. She could see everything so perfectly. So many delightful colors. So many people.

Lucy focused her eyes down at different people to watch them. She saw Caspian and his wife with their son. She saw Mr. Tumnus and talking with Edmund and Eustace by the sea. She could see Aravis and Cor laughing and splashing each other in a mossy pond. She could see dryads dancing about happily. Mr. And Mrs. Beaver were playing chess with Reepicheep. Peter was sitting by himself looking out from the cair paravel balcony. King Tirian was talking with Jill pole.

She found herself wondering if Tirian liked Jill. Surely Jill was too young for him! But they seemed so happy talking together. She wouldn't be young forever. He could've fallen in love with her. He could simply be waiting a few years to tell her first.

Oh, how Lucy wished it wasn't a possibility. She didn't want Tirian to be in love with Jill. She had some feelings for Tirian herself. Was it love? she wasn't sure. After all, she hadn't known him long enough for that. But it was certainly like. A lot of Like. She really liked him. She liked the way he talked to her as if she was his equal and the kind kingly smiles he shoot her way every now and again.

"Hello oh great Queen. May you live forever." A voice said from behind her.

Lucy quickly spun her head around to see who it was. It was Emeth. She might have guessed it from the way he spoke. "Hullo, Emeth." Her eyes wandered back to Tirian.

Emeth noticed. "Ah, youthful love." He sighed.

He must mean Jill and Tirian. Lucy thought. "He's not in love with Jill." She said quickly her cheeks flushing bright red.

"I wasn't talking about Jill." Emeth said. "I was speaking of you and the King Tirian. Surely your obvious pleasure in his company does not go un noticed."

"Oh don't be silly." Lucy said. "Tirian would never notice me. He likes me as a fellow ruler and friend. That's all."

"And you're okay with that?" Emeth asked.

"Yes." Lucy lied. Her first lie. How rotten it felt. She's always been so truthful before. Curse you Tirian!

"I think you should tell him how you feel." Emeth said.

Lucy laughed. "How can I tell him that when I don't even know how I feel?"

"Well it's just another thing you have in common." He said.

"Emeth, were you a Calormene match maker?" She teased. "Because I don't suppose you'd simply bother other wise."

"Not, I fair lady." Emeth said, smiling. "I was only solider."

"Emeth," Lucy said, her tone changing. "Have you ever been in love?"

Emeth shook his head. "No, but I do imagine what it would be like from time to time. I just haven't met the right girl yet."

"Non of the Calormene ladies suited you?"

"Nay, I could not find love in my heart for ones I knew. The sky appeared dark in my eyes if I could even thought about marrying one of them. Father and mother were disappointed when I didn't wed my childhood sweetheart but I didn't love her."

"Oh." Lucy sighed, she looked back at Tirian again. Then her eyes wandered back up to where Peter was. What was with him? He seemed troubled? How could he be? with everyone here in Aslan's country?

Edmund wondered about this as well. Why was Peter acting so strange? At first he had seemed as happy as anyone to be in Aslan's country. Now he seemed almost...sad.

Aslan came over to Edmund, his great paws gentle padding on the ground. "King Edmund." He said.

"Yes Aslan?" He looked at the great lion standing beside him.

"I know what you wonder." Aslan said. "You want to know what is wrong with your brother."

"Do you know, Aslan?" Edmund asked.

"Yes." Aslan said gravely. "but It is he that will tell you of his own free will. It is his trouble and his own story. No one is ever told any story but their own."

"Hmm." Edmund decided he would ask Peter what was wrong.

Meanwhile, Eustace joined Tirian and Jill's conversation.

They were talking about the great northern giants. "They tried to eat us." Jill was telling him. "Cook us as man pies." She looked over at Eustace. "Remember the bright clothes they gave us? It's a miracle we weren't caught!"

"We should have listened to puddleglum." Eustace recalled. "He was in the right."

"But It was my fault." Jill confessed. "I mixed up the signs."

Tirian stopped listening for a moment and his eyes turned to the hill Queen Lucy was on. She was gazing out at everything. Oh how fair she was! He couldn't help but notice. He did wish she'd come down and talk to him. For a moment, their eyes meet before they both blushed and turned away.

Eustace noticed. "Smitten with the Queen Lucy are we?" He teased.

"I am not!" Tirian said a bit too loudly.

"You like her, you like her." Eustace teased.

"You like her." Jill joined in.

"Oh Jill, even you wont stand up for me?" Tirian said in a sulkily voice. "And I thought we were such friends."

"I am your friend." Jill said. "And as your friend, I think you should tell her how you feel."

"Never!" Tirian gasped. Was she mad? Lucy would never notice him! She didn't see him in that way. She only liked him because he was descended from her old friend Caspian. That was all.

"Oh dry up!" Eustace laughed. "Just tell her. You've got nothing to lose."

"Nonsense." He had everything to lose.

"Come on!"

Tirian looked back at the hill, Lucy was not alone. Emeth was with her. She smiled at him a few times and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Suddenly it all made sense. Lucy liked Emeth. "She's likes Emeth, not me."

"Pshaw!" Jill said. "She does not like Emeth in that way!"

"How can you be sure?" Tirian asked still uncertain.

"I just am!" Jill said.

"I'm not telling her anything." Tirian decided. It would be beyond embarrassing! He could picture it now, He expressed his interest in her, she smiled kindly and told him she was flattered but, she 'just didn't feel the same way' and she took Emeth's arm and went for a moon lit stroll down the beach. No way, he was going to say anything.

Edmund found Peter and prepared to ask him what was wrong. "Pete..."

Peter knew what he was going to ask. He knew very well that his sad way of conducting himself stuck out in this happy world like a sore thumb. But he was so ashamed. He didn't know if he could tell the truth to his brother. He done something terrible. Something he regretted terribly.

"What is it?" Edmund's voice was filled with concern.

"It's all my fault." Peter said quietly almost in a whisper.

"What is?"

"That Susan isn't here with us." He said.

"Oh Pete, no it's not." Edmund said kindly. "You know it's not. She made her own decision. You even invited her to come with us when we gave the rings to Jill and Eustace and she wouldn't come."

"That's just it, Ed." Peter gulped sadly. "I...I...lied. I never asked her to come. We'd had a fight before, and I was just so mad at her...I didn't know...this would happen...I told her I was taking a course in pluming...she didn't know where we were."

"Pluming?" Edmund said in confusion.

"I had to explain the workmen clothes somehow." Peter grumped.

"Why pluming?" Edmund asked.

"By the lion Ed! Is that all you have to say?" Peter asked.

"We did really look like plumbers. I guess that makes sense." Edmund blinked twice as if in deep thought.

"Forget the dang plumbing Ed!" Peter shouted.

"Peter, why did you do that?" Edmund asked at the realization sunk in. "Did you hate her that much?"

"No." Peter said. "That's just it. I made a terrible mistake."

"Well, it doesn't mean she won't make it here." Edmund said kindly. "We all make mistakes."

"I know." Peter said. "I still feel horrible about it though."

"Well on a lighter note," Edmund said sensing his brother wanted to change the subject. "I think King Tirian might like Lucy."

"Lucy's too young for stuff like that." Peter shrugged.

"She's seventeen." Edmund reminded him.

"It's still young." Peter argued. "Much younger than Tirian."

"I guess so." Edmund said. "But I still think he likes her."

"He'd better back off of my little sister." Peter's expression hardened. "I made a mistake with one sister and lost her. I'm going to be a perfect brother to the other one if it kills me."

"But you're already dead...sorta..." Edmund said. It was getting confusing.

"Well that'll make it easier then wont it?" Peter said firmly.

Meanwhile in another world, our world to be exact, Susan Pevensie attended a memorial service for her family. There were no bodies but no one seemed to care about that.

They seemed to prefer to gossip. "Look at that Susan girl, she is the most selfish brat I've ever seen." One middle aged witch of a woman said meanly. "Look, her whole family dead and she's not even crying."

Susan had cried she just didn't like to cry with other people around was all. She looked at everyone. She hated them all. they were wicked and cruel! She raced out of the building let them gossip! She just wasn't going to take it anymore. She ran and ran until she reached a bridge high off the ground above a large lake of water. She took off her shoes, placed them neatly on the bridge then she jumped. It would all be over in a moment.

The water felt so cold. Her lungs screamed for air but she refused to answer them. She would just let the water rush over her head.

**AN: Well whatja think? Review and let me know!**


	2. Watery grave

**AN: Here's chapter 2, I hope you like it! **

Suddenly Susan felt rather strange. She'd expected to sink like a rock and just stay down their until it was all over. Yet, she found herself drifting. For a moment the water was even colder than this had been before. She'd never been so cold in her life. Her last thought was,

"My lips must be a frightful shade of purple by now." Then suddenly she wasn't cold at all. She was still in the water, but it was like water that the sun has heated to just the right level of warmth. Then everything was black.

Meanwhile back in Aslan's country, Peter and Emeth were sitting by cauldron pool. Both seemed to be in their own deep thoughts barely noticing the other's presence. Peter eye's were half closed. He was thinking of a time long ago in another world. He could just barely remember.

A little Peter, barely two years old was sitting at home in London he was chewing on one of his toys because he was still teething. Mum suddenly let out a terrible scream and grabbed hold of her belly. Father came rushing over and helped her out of the house and into a car, Leaving Peter alone with aunt Aberta.

"Mum?" He had asked in a frightening little voice looking every which way for his mother.

"Your mum, is going to the hospital." Alberta had said.

Peter started bawling. He didn't know much about hospitals but the last time he'd heard that word used was when they took grandpa away. Grandpa never did come back. "Mummy." He whimpered.

"Oh now don't cry, there's a good boy." Alberta handed him a tissue. Not fully understanding what the toddler was sobbing about. "You're mum will be back soon. And when she comes back you'll have a brand new brother or sister."

"Huh?" The little boy's blue eyes blinked at her in confusion. "Ister? Othter?" (his way of saying "Brother" and "Sister" at that age. The only words he could say properly were "Mum", "Mummy", and "Food")

"You'll have someone to play with." Alberta said with fake excitement before muttering, "But if you ask me one of you is more than enough."

"Tay?" Peter asked grabbing a little toy ball and showing it to his aunt.

"No, I don't want to play...gosh, it can't understand me yet..." Alberta rolled her eyes.

Later the phone rang. Alberta picked it up. then she turned to Peter who was stuffing the tip of a blue blanket into his mouth. "You have a Sister."

"Ister?" What in the world was a sister? Well he'd find out soon enough.

Mum came home very tired and carried a small bundle in her arms.

"uat tat?" (He meant "What's that?" ) Was it the sister?

Mum sat down on the couch and little Peter climbed up beside her. He looked. There was a little baby in mum's arms! where had that come from? Peter leaned forward to get a better look at the thing. The baby reached out it's little hand, grabbed Peter's nose and pulled hard.

"Ow!" Peter whimpered as Mum gently removed the baby's fingers from his nose.

"Goo!" the baby smiled at him.

"Look at that that!" Father said happily. "You got her to smile!"

Peter frowned. He didn't like the baby. He rubbed his nose and pointed to the baby. "Ean!" He pouted. (He meant "Mean!" )

"She didn't mean it." his father laughed. "I think she likes you."

"Eally?" ("Really?")

"Sure, she didn't smile at anyone else yet."

"Tame?" Peter asked. (Meaning "Name?")

"Peter, meet, Susan." his mum said with a smile.

"Susan." He repeated. And just like that, he'd learned a new word.

There was an old family photo from that time that used to hang in the house. Before Edmund and Lucy were born and it was time for a new family photo. In it there was a mother and a father and a little boy giving his baby sister a hug.

"High King, are you alright?" Emeth asked suddenly.

"I'm fine." Peter said coming back to the present.

"Your face is all scrunched up." Emeth said.

"I'm fine, really." Peter insisted.

Suddenly, Emeth let out a gasp. Peter looked to see what he was reacting too and the sight made his blood turn cold and his stomach hurt. Nothing like this had ever happened in Aslan's country before. There was a woman dressed in all black floating lifelessly in the water. they couldn't see her face because she was floating on it. They could only tell that she had black hair the same color as her clothes. She wasn't wearing any shoes.

Emeth and Peter jumped into the water and dragged her out. They laid her on the ground on her back. they still couldn't see her face. It was covered by a great black veil. the water had caused the veil to stick to her face.

Emeth slowly reached out and removed the veil. He let out a gasp. He was looking into the face of the most beautiful lady he'd ever seen. "She's so beautiful."

Tears streamed down Peter's face. He knew who she was at once. She wasn't just some lady after all. "Susan..." He said weakly.

Back on the hill, Lucy was taking a nap under the apple trees. She liked the smell. It was rich and full of life. She didn't have a pillow with her, she rested on her own arm.

Tirian came by and saw her. She looked so peaceful asleep like that. All her bright fair hair fanned out behind her and her lips curled up in a smile. She must have been having a good dream.

Her eyes shot open and she let out a gasp when she saw Tirian there. "Oh it's you." She said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "you scared me."

"Sorry." He said kindly. "I didn't know anyone was up here."

"Isn't the view wonderful?" Lucy said looking over the edge of the gate. "It's my favorite place to look at things from."

"It's beautiful." He was looking at Lucy when he said this, though he claimed he was talking about the view.

Lucy blushed sensing his eyes on her. Then she took an apple and offered it to him. He took it but he didn't bite into it.

Tirian then looked back at the view. He spotted Jill and Eustace talking. What where they laughing about? They'd better not be talking about his feelings for the Queen Lucy. If they were and someone over heard him he was going to give them an earful.

In fact that is what they were talking about.

"Think he's telling her?" Eustace asked Jill, eyeing the hill top.

"Um no." Jill laughed. "He's silly as a stubborn goat! He really has gone and convinced himself that she's in love with Emeth."

"Silly man." Eustace shook his head. "He's out of his mind. She's doesn't love Emeth any differently from how she loves her brothers."

"He should tell her." Jill insisted.

"You know..." Eustace said getting a bit of an idea. "We could write a note pretend it was from him and give to Lucy. That would clear everything up."

"Eustace, that is the worst idea in the world!" Jill scolded him. "Are you out of your mind? Think of how uncomfortable it would be for Lucy when she found out the note wasn't actually from him."

"Point taken." Eustace looked sullen though.

"We could always, find Emeth a girlfriend though." Jill said with a smile. "Then Tirain would know that Lucy wasn't in love with him."

"Yeah but then Mr. over active imagination would probably just fancy her in love with someone else." Eustace pointed out. "Who knows who he'd think she liked next!"

"It's still worth a shot." Jill said cheerfully.

"Nothing to it but to do it." Eustace shrugged. "I'm game if you are."

Back at the pool, Emeth and Peter were still staring down at Susan.

"Come on," Peter said gently squeezing her hand "You don't want to go yet...You're not dead...just filled with water...Come on, spit it out!" What if she really was dead? Please Aslan, don't let her be dead, not here.

Emeth had an idea, he lifted her up and tapped her back gently. Susan let out a slight cough but not enough to get the water out of her lungs. He tapped her again. This time she spat up about a cupful's worth of water that hit Peter in the eye.

Then slowly her eyes started to open. Her eyes focused on Emeth first. For a moment she thought it was Rabadash. After all they had the same sort of dark handsomeness about them. But then she realized that his face was much less hard and much more friendly then Rabadash's had ever been. Someone to the left of her was squeezing her hand. She squeezed back. Then she looked to see who it was. A tall slim young man with blue eyes and tears running down his face. His familiar face. It couldn't be!

"Peter?" She gasped looking up at him. "But you..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she was tightly embraced by her elder brother. "I'm so sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Where am I?" Susan asked as soon as he let her go. "And how did you get here? You were dead."

"Only in England, here I'm very much alive." He told her.

"Oh, I'm dreaming." Susan said softly. "I know I'm dreaming." She looked back at Emeth. "Who are you?"

"My name is Emeth." He said. "And you are the long lost Queen Susan?"

"Yes, I suppose I am." She looked back at Peter. "How did I get here?"

Peter didn't know. "You tell me."

Susan thought for moment. "I threw myself off a bridge..."

"Are you out of your mind?" Peter shouted I thought you were dead!"

"Well how do you think I felt back in England?" She snapped at him.

"Don't fight," Emeth tried. "Has not one of the poets said..."

Susan and Peter glared at him. "Oh, Shut up!" They barked at the same time.

Suddenly all three burst out laughing. They laughed until they cried. Then Susan hugged Peter again. "I'm so happy you're okay! At least I still have one sibling."

"What do you speak of madam?" Emeth asked in a confused voice. "If you are Queen Susan your other siblings, King Edmund and Queen Lucy are quite well. Why, I just spoke to Lucy yesterday."

"You did?" Susan laughed happily. "Oh this is the nicest place I've ever been! where is it?"

"Aslan's country." Emeth told her.

"I see you've finally rid yourself of that awful make-up." Peter noticed.

"The water did it." Susan confessed. "I wore that awful stuff up until the last day."

"But you still believe in Narnia?" Peter asked. How could she come here if she didn't?

"I never stopped." She said. "It just hurt too much...I was confused...Then you were all dead. I was so alone and scared and..."

"I'm sorry." Peter said again.

"For what?"

"For putting you through this." He said.

"It wasn't your fault..."

"It was...you still believed...all this time..." Peter shook his head. "How could I just have given up on you like that?"

"What does it matter now?" Susan said with a forgiving smile. "But is there anyway I could get out of these wet clothes? And could I wear something with really bright colors? I loathe black now. I've been wearing it for two weeks straight since the crash..."

"I think well be able to find you something." Peter said as he and Emeth helped her to her feet.

"Come let's get you to Cair Paravel." Emeth said.

"I'm so tired." Susan yawned as they half dragged her into the castle.

They put her back into her old Cair Paravel bedroom and quietly shut the door as they left to give her some peace and quiet but they left it open a crack just so they could check in on her every now and then.

About ten minutes later, Edmund came along the corridor humming to himself. He stopped in his tracks when he thought he heard familiar snoring. Snoring he hadn't heard in a long time. He peeped into Queen Susan's old bedroom and there was a slim white body in a colorful nightdress sticking out from under the covers of the bed. It couldn't be! He raced inside.

Susan opened her eye. "Edmund!" She cried happily.

Edmund threw his arms around her. "Susan! It's you it's really you!" He said hugging even tighter now.

"Susan can't breathe, sweetie." She said trying to lose herself from her brother's tight grip.

"But how?" He asked beaming at her.

"Long story." Susan said.

"Wait till Peter find out..." Edmund called out the door. "Peter come quick!"

Peter came racing down the corridor. "What is it?"

"Susan's here!"

Oh that. "I know."

"You know?" Edmund shouted. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I forgot?" Peter said cursing himself for not remembering to tell his siblings.

Lucy came by eating an apple from the hilltop then she saw her brothers sitting around a bed with a familiar looking young woman in it.

"Susan!" She screamed happily, dropping her apple on the floor (It made a big slat), and running to hug her.

"Lucy!" Susan smiled at her. "Dear little Lu."

"Group hug!" Shouted Edmund as they all piled on Susan.

"Too Tight." Susan said.

They all let go.

"I didn't say I didn't like it." She smiled at them.

Meanwhile, back in our world, the search for a missing woman named Susan Pevensie was called off when they found her shoes on the top of a bridge. there was little blood on the wood (Susan had scraped the back off her foot on it as she jumped tearing the skin).

"The loss must have been to stressful for her." A cop who was on the case said as he closed the file.

"Let's hope she's in a better place now." His partner said looking at an old photo of the well known-local.

She was in a better place. Safe in the arms of her siblings. And the people in our world never did know of the wonderful life she was about to start in the country of an old friend.

**AN: Okay, you know the drill. Leave a review and make the writter happy. Because happy writters write more!**


	3. Rainbow of lights and like

**AN: Sorry for the wait, I meant to get this up sooner. Hope you like it.**

Susan didn't want to wake up. She'd been having the most wonderful dream. She'd dreamed that she'd thrown herself off a bridge and had floated to a beautiful country where her dead siblings waited for her very much alive after all. She dreamed of a beautiful room where she'd been before...in a place called Narnia...in a game...sort of...oh it was so hard to remember at times!

She knew what she was going to wake up to though. A gray, dull world. She had probably fallen asleep at the family memorial. Others would scorn her for being selfish, uncaring, and cruel. It would have never entered their heads that she'd been up all night long, crying her eyes out because she'd stumbled upon, an old dress that had belonged to a five year old Lucy once upon at time. Or that she'd found her parents old love letters and had been up late reading them and missing them more than she thought possible. No, it wouldn't make good gossip so of course they wouldn't care.

But the dream was so different and beautiful, even real...if that was possible. No, Susan wouldn't allow herself to wake up, she'd simply keep her eyes closed until she feel back asleep and back into that warm dream.

Light flooded the room. Her eyes were opening, it was all about to melt away. Goodbye beautiful country of the lion...farewell...her eyes slowly opened. She wasn't back at the memorial after all. She was still in a castle bedroom. Her old castle bedroom. Narnia wasn't a game it was real and it was all around her. The light had come from the dark curtains of her large window being pulled back by the thin branchy hands of a dryad.

"Good morning, Queen Susan." The dryad said politely. "do you remember me?"

Susan squinted at her for a moment. "Mirrella? My old hand maid? From the golden age?"

"Oh you do remember me!" The dryad cried happily. "I'm so glad. Your parents came earlier to see you but refused to let us wake you up. So I suppose you'll just have to see them later."

"My parents are here too?" Susan gasped sitting up in her bed. "Will I see them at breakfast."

"No darling, your brother the High King insisted that you were chilled to the bone from that dip in the water you took yesterday and demanded we have breakfast brought to you." Morella explained. Then she clapped her hands.

Mr. Tumnus walked in carrying a tray of the finest foods that could be prepared. Hunks of think yellow cheese and bunches of grapes bigger than the vine they came from. Toast and tea. As well as six different kinds of cakes.

"Good heavens!" Susan exclaimed looking at all the food. It was enough for herself and about six gorillas! "My brother does know I haven't been fasting for two weeks doesn't he?"

"I guess he just wanted to be sure you had enough." Mr Tumnus said with a cheerful grin.

Susan remembered him at that moment. He was the good faun that had saved her from being forced to marry Prince Rabadash. He was Lucy's old friend. "Dear Mr. Tumnus!" She said happily. "It's so good to see you."

"It's a pleasure to see you too." He said with a little laugh. "Although, I'm not the only one who thinks so." He turned around and looked at the doorway, "By the lion's mane, if you want to come in and say hello to the queen, do so, don't just stand in her doorway gaping at her all day."

Emeth had been standing in the doorway looking very unsure of himself. He took a deep breath and walked in. "Good morning, your majesty." He said slowly. "I wanted to see if all was um...to your liking?"

"Emeth..." Susan repeated. "That's what you said your name was right?"

"Yes." She remembered!

"It was very nice to meet you." She said politely. And it was. His had been the first kind face she'd seen since the train crash.

"It was an honor to meet you as well, oh great queen of Narnia." Emeth said.

Tumnus looked at Emeth, then back at Susan. Both had beaming faces and seemed to be enjoying each other's company. He wondered if they were starting to like each other.

Meanwhile, Jill and Eustace who had never yet heard of the arrival of Susan were trying to decide on a girlfriend for Emeth.

"What about Polly?" Eustace suggested.

"You mean Aunt Polly?" Jill asked looking appalled.

"Yes, she's not old anymore..." Eustace said thoughtfully.

Jill shook her head. "I think Digory might like her. I heard him tell Mr. Tumnus the other day that Polly was the prettiest, most cleaver wench in all of Aslan's country."

"He's not going to get far if she finds out he called her a wench." Eustace said with an air of political correctness he hadn't quite lost from his time with Alberta and Harold.

"Not the point." Jill said sharply. "Think of someone else."

"Um..." Eustace thought. He couldn't come up with anyone. "Okay, well there's..."

"Oh...what about..." Jill realized she couldn't think of anyone else either.

"You?" Eustace came up with finally.

"Me?" Jill gasped. Was he out of his mind.

"Well, Emeth likes you...well sorta..."

Jill frowned at him. "Since when?"

"He did say you were beautiful." Eustace reminded her.

"He said it to Polly, Lucy, and I at the same time." Jill reminded him. "He meant all of us."

"Right but that means he doesn't hate you." Eustace pointed out.

"He doesn't hate Puzzle either but we're not going to set him up with a donkey." Jill huffed. "And what If I don't like Emeth in that way?"

"Well do you or don't you?" Eustace asked point blank.

Jill began to wonder. She'd never thought about it before. Emeth wasn't a bad looking fellow and he was brave and loyal. But did she really like him like that? She wasn't sure. "I don't know."

"Well think about it." Eustace said getting very excited suddenly. "If you did like him, Tirian would know for sure that Emeth and Lucy weren't together." "I don't know..." Jill said doubtfully. "He's older...much older..."

"True." Eustace agreed. "But if you think about it, the age difference between you and Emeth isn't anymore than that between Lucy and Tirian."

"Well when you put it that way..." Jill hadn't seen it in that light before. "I guess, maybe..."

"Great!" Eustace said happily. "Tirian and Lucy will be together before you know it."

"But what if it turns out that Emeth doesn't like me?" Jill said. Or worse she thought it but didn't say it out loud, that she didn't like Emeth?

"He will." Eustace said. "What's not to like?"

"I don't like this, Eustace..." Jill said firmly. "I don't think I like him in that way...at least I'm not sure...I'd rather not lead him on...Maybe we could find someone else?"

Eustace sighed. "You're right it's silly." He agreed. "You and Emeth indeed." He started laughing.

"It's not that funny." Jill was offended. How dare that Scrubb boy think that she wasn't worthy of attention from a man!

"Oh Pole, I'm not implying that no one would like you." He laughed. "It just the thought of you and Emeth together is a little funny."

"Well it was your stupid idea to begin with." Jill huffed at him. "Not mine."

"Well the whole find him a girlfriend thing wasn't my idea." Eustace pointed out.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Jill I..." Eustace started.

"You what?" Jill asked in a testy voice.

"I like you okay?" Eustace blurted out before quickly covering his mouth.

Jill let out a gasp of surprise. Did he just say... "Wait you like me?"

"Yeah." Eustace turned red in the face.

She slapped him on the arm. "Then why did you want me to be with Emeth?"

"I don't know." Eustace admitted. "I'm an idiot."

"I agree." Jill gigged and kissed him on the cheek before getting up and leaving the area.

All Eustace could think was...wow.

In another part of Aslan's Country, at the Cair Paravel gardens, Queen Lucy was practicing her archery. She couldn't wait until Susan was strong enough to start archery again. They'd used to love practicing together in the old days of the golden age. The ones that felt like they were starting up again.

Tirian came by and noticed that the Queen was about to miss her shot if she didn't raise her elbow a very little bit higher. Wordlessly, he gently reached over and pulled her elbow up a little bit.

Lucy turned around expecting to see one of her brothers. But rather than see one of them, she saw King Tirian smiling at her.

"Thank you." She said coyly as she turned let the arrow fly. It hit the mark perfectly.

"You seem happy today." Tirian noticed.

"My sister's come back." Lucy told him cheerfully.

"The one who was no longer a friend of Narnia?" Tirian asked.

"Yes, but she is a friend after all." She explained. "Peter and Emeth found her nearly drowned to death floating in Cauldron Pool."

"Oh my." There didn't seem much else to say.

"Would you like to come meet her?" Lucy offered.

"Sure." Tirian couldn't help but be a bit curious.

"By the way..." Lucy added with out thinking as they walked through the castle corridors, "How are things with you and Jill?"

"What in Aslan's name are you talking about?" Tirian asked his brow frowning in confusion.

"Aren't you...you know..." Lucy asked, wishing she'd stayed quiet. What if he didn't want anyone to know about his feelings for Jill yet? What was she thinking blurting it out like that?

"Jill is a friend." Tirian said firmly. "A very good friend."

So he didn't like her? "Wait, you mean...you don't like Jill in that way?" Lucy asked before she could stop herself.

"Of course not?" Tirian gasped. "Who says such things?"

"No one...I simply thought..." Lucy tried not to laugh. So he was a free man after all! And she'd spend all that time worrying about him and Jill Pole. Now it seemed silly.

Tirian laughed. "You thought I was with Jill pole?"

"Well yes." Lucy laughed it was no use trying not to.

After breakfast, Susan dressed herself in the most colorful gown she could find.

"You look like a rainbow." Edmund teased. "I haven't see that much color since I looked into your make-up bag."

"And I haven't see this much color since the last time you puked up Turkish delight on the rug." She laughed. It felt so good to argue with her little brother again. She turned to Emeth. "What do you think?"

"I think it looks good on you." He said.

"You'd think she looked good a potato sack." Edmund said.

Emeth's dark face turned a little red. "Mr. Tumnus agrees with me."

"Does not," Edmund said. He turned to Mr. Tumnus. "Don't you think her dress has too much color?"

"I think it makes her happy." Tumnus said. "She's fairly beaming."

"She's in Aslan's country, of course she's beaming." Edmund said.

There was a knock at the door. "Are you decent?" It was Peter.

"Ah, Peter, come in join the party." Edmund called.

Peter walked in and saw the dress Susan was wearing. "By the Lion, can't you just like one color?"

"No." Susan laughed. "I want to look colorful and full of life and happy."

"Well you certainly have that down pat." Peter laughed.

Lucy and Tirian came in next. "Susan, this is King Tirian. last king of Narnia."

"Wait what?" Susan gasped suddenly looking less happy. "Narnia is no more? Isn't this Narnia?"

"Not the Narnia we knew..." Lucy explained. "This is Aslan's Country remember?"

"Yes of course." Susan said rubbing her forehead. "But it's confusing."

Lucy looked over to Tirian to see what he thought of her sister. She didn't like what she saw. Maybe he wasn't interested in Jill Pole but he sure seemed to like Susan Pevensie.

"Ah, so this is the missing queen." He said with a smile.

"Yes." Susan said. "that would be me."

He started to laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Susan asked.

"You have a smudge on your cheek." Tirian laughed. "If I may?" He leaned forward and wiped it off with his thumb. "There you are."

"Thanks." Susan looked over at Lucy's face. It was a look she'd seen on her sister once before. It was the same look Lucy had a party back in England once when everyone was telling Susan how pretty she was and taking no notice of her. She wondered if maybe her sister wasn't going to be as happy about her being here as her brother's were.

**AN: I've thought up a poem. **

**Roses are red, **

**violets are blue,**

**don't leave before reviewing the new chapter by LucyCrewe**

**Heh..not the best piece ever written but it's gets the point across, so unless you want more bad poems at the end of the next chapter, please leave me a review. **


	4. Perfect Misunderstandings

**AN: I really wanted to update but I didn't have a long chapter in mind. So I just wrote this. I know it's shorter than the other ones but I hope it's still good.**

Lucy glared at Susan during dinner that night. It seemed like everyone was completely charmed by her. Everyone laughed at her jokes but all of Lucy's attempts at humor fell flat, only Peter managed a polite chuckle at his littlest sister's puns.

Helen their mother, kept on saying things like, "I knew you'd come back to us one day, you always were such a bright child."

Lucy's glare hardened very time her mother said that, So not only was Susan the pretty one of the family, she was the smart one too. What did that make Lucy? A simpleton? The plain-faced tag along no one really wanted? She knew she shouldn't be feeling jealous especially being in Aslan's Country and having all she could ever want but she couldn't help it.

Susan noticed her sister's angry expression though no one else seemed to. Maybe if she ignored it, it would go away. Why was Lucy so upset anyway? She didn't understand. What was there to be angry about here? Wasn't everything colorfully and giddy?

"Queen, you have not told us in full how you came to be here." King Tirian said to Susan.

Susan didn't want to relive her life after the crash by telling it in a story but felt it couldn't be helped.

"Well," she began. "The police showed up at my house with Peter's jacket. And Father's pocket watch. They told me that my whole family had been killed. They never found any bodies."

"Well of course not!" Lucy put in. "We needed them here."

"You hinder the Lady in her tale." Tirian said quietly. He liked it best when only one person told a story at a time. Other wise it got confusing but Lucy took it the wrong way. She figured he didn't want her to talk at all. Not now that Susan was here.

Lucy got up from the table and stormed out of the room.

"Lucy!" Peter called. He let out a sigh. "I'll go see what's wrong." He started to get up.

"No," Susan told him. "I think I should go." And she got up and went after Lucy.

"More beans?" Edmund offered the serving dish to Tumnus to fill the awkward silence.

Lucy went into her room and sank into a chair by the window. She's just stay right here. No one wanted her anyway. Probably no one at the table even missed her now. She felt so bad for herself at that moment that she began to cry a little. It was the first time she'd ever cried in Aslan's country. And of course it was all Tirian's fault. Curse you Tirian!

"Lucy?" There was a knock on the door. "Susan?" Lucy was surprised. What was her sister doing here? With her luck, she'd probably come to tell her that she and Tirian were engaged.

"Can I come in?" Susan asked.

"The door isn't locked." Lucy's muffled cry came back.

Susan opened the door and walked in. "Lucy, what's wrong?" She asked when she saw her sister's tears.

"Everyone like's you so much better than me!" Lucy sobbed.

Susan shook her head. "No, they don't Lu."

"Do to." Lucy insisted stubbornly.

"They don't." Susan took a seat on Lucy's bed. "They're just glad I'm back is all."

Lucy sighed. It wasn't really Susan's fault but she was still a little angry with her. "You don't understand, you couldn't Su. You've never had be jealous before. You've always been the pretty one that everyone adored. I'm just the little golden-haired runt."

For a moment Susan looked distant as though she was thinking about something from long ago. "I think I know what you're going though." A little smile formed on Susan's face. "There was a time when I was jealous of you, Lucy."

This was unexpected. "You were jealous of me?" Lucy asked in a small voice. "When?"

"Well, you've been Peter's favorite sister since the day you were born." Susan laughed remembering a time long ago. "Before that, though, Peter and I were as thick as thieves. I was furious when you got all the attention. And it wasn't just Peter, Mum and dad paid lots of attention to you, they had to, you were the baby and you needed them. But I didn't like it. I felt like I was being pushed aside all the time. Then one day, mum had to run out to get something and you were home with just me and Peter. And you actually climbed out of Peter's lap and crawled on to mine and gave me a hug. I couldn't stay mad at you after that..." Susan blushed a little, "It's silly I know, it still embarrasses me that I was jealous of a baby."

Lucy got up and gave Susan a hug. She did understand a little.

"Can you keep a secret Su?" Lucy asked.

"Sure." Susan was delighted. Lucy hadn't shared at secret with her in a long time.

"I think I'm falling in love with Tirian." Lucy said. It was such a relief to actually say it.

"Aw!" Susan hugged her little sister so tightly that she couldn't breathe. "Look at you all grown up and falling for noble men."

"I can't breathe Susan!" Lucy gasped as her sister loosened her grip. "Anyway, it doesn't matter, He likes you now."

"Lucy, don't be silly." Susan laughed. "He was just being polite to me. He might very well feel the same way about you."

Lucy shook her head. "He doesn't. He likes you. I can tell."

"But you might be wrong. Why don't you just tell him how you feel? Then you'd know for sure!"

"I'm not you, Susan!" Lucy cried. "I don't have guys falling at my feet when I enter a room."

"You're not boring to look at Lu, you're pretty in your own way. And remember all those suitors from the golden age?" Susan reminded her.

Lucy still didn't agree. "Non of them were like Tirian."

"You need to tell him!" Susan said again.

Lucy let out a snort. Yeah right. Like she was going to march up to him and tell him how she felt only to have him tell her he was very sorry but he was interested in her sister, not her. No way.

"Want me to tell him for you?" Susan offered.

"Susan Pevensie!" Lucy shouted. "If you tell anyone, I'll never talk to you again!"

"I wont tell." Susan sighed. Poor Lucy.

Suddenly there was a slight crash on the side of the room were the door was. Peter who had been listening at the door, had lost his footing and fallen in.

"Peter!" Lucy picked up at pillow and hurled it at her brother. "Get out!"

"We didn't hear a word." Peter lied, turning red.

"We?" Susan asked.

"Thanks for selling me out Pete!" Edmund's voice came from the air vents. "By the way Lucy, I agree with Susan you should tell him."

"Edmund!" Peter shouted up the vent. "Are you out of your mind?"

Lucy got up and shoved Peter out of the way of the vent. Then she let out a sharp loud whistle.

"Ow!" Edmund's whimper came back.

"Lucy, you're much too young for Tirian anyway." Peter said calmly. "I think you should wait a few years. Then go find some one your own age."

"Why?" Lucy snapped. "Because Tirian could never like me? Well you know what? I'm going to tell him!" She stormed out of the room.

"Oh, nicely played, Peter!" Susan clapped her hands in approval. "You got her to get up and tell him."

"I was dead serious." Peter said firmly. "She's too young for him."

"Peter, your being ridiculous!" Susan said.

"That's what I told him." Edmund's voice came from the air vents again.

"Shut up." Peter barked.

"Don't tell your brother to shut up." a voice said from under the floorboards. "Mum?" Peter, Susan and Edmund gasped at the same time.

Meanwhile, Tirian was talking with Tumnus. (Emeth had already gone) Lucy was now listening in the doorway.

"Tumnus, can you keep a secret?"

"What's on your mind?" Tumnus asked.

"I think I'm falling for the same girl as Emeth is." Tirian said. "And I don't know what to do."

Tumnus, not knowing that Tirian thought Emeth was more than friends with Lucy, assumed he was talking about Susan. After all Emeth had rarely left her side since her arrival. "You fancy the queen as well?"

"Yes." Tirian said, Thinking Tumnus was talking about Lucy.

Lucy, who hadn't missed the fact that Emeth seemed to fancy her sister was heart-broken. Tirian did like Susan! Susan and Edmund were wrong! Peter was right! With a heavy sigh, Lucy turned and walked back to her room once more.

"I don't think there's much hope for you with her." Tumnus shook his head.

"I knew it!" Tirian sighed. "I should just try to forget about her in that way."

"Well what else can you do?" Tumnus said sadly think, It's too bad he didn't like the Queen Lucy in that way, they would have made a nice pair.

"Nothing I guess."

**AN: No poems this time, just a polite request that you leave a review. **


	5. Clean swords and courting never mix

**AN: Sorry for the long wait on this chapter.**

"Susan, do you think it's possible to be just friends with someone even if you like then as more than a friend?" Lucy asked as she stood on her favorite golden-gated hill looking out.

"Um..." Susan didn't actually think that was possible at all but she knew who Lucy was talking about and how much she cared about him.

"It's just I still want to be Tirian's friend. I really value his friendship." Lucy explained. "Even if it's you that he has feelings for."

"Lu, are you sure that he likes me and not you?" Susan asked. Tirian sure didn't seem to like her. He admired her beauty but that was about it. He didn't seem to brighten up when she walked in a room the way he did whenever Lucy came into view.

Lucy nodded trying not to cry. "I heard him tell Mr. Tumnus about it."

"Well, he'll have to get over it, I'm not interested in him, and even if I was I'd never go after my little sister's beau." Susan said looking rather disgusted.

Lucy looked annoyed. "He's not my beau." She said in an irritated voice.

"Emeth's coming." Susan said noticing the dark shape of a person walking up the hill.

Lucy smiled at her sister. "You like him." She sang.

Susan turned beet red. "I do not. We are just friends."

Lucy didn't believe her. "I saw you flirting with him yesterday at archery practice."

"I was not flirting!" Susan insisted smoothing the skirt of yet another overly bright dress she'd chosen out of her closet. So she'd let the man carry her bow and arrows for her. That didn't mean they were getting married.

Lucy was about to say something back but Emeth had just come up the hill and she wasn't cruel enough to tease her sister in front of him.

"Greetings, my queens whom have the beauty of a thousand swans." Emeth said to them.

"It's never just 'hello' with you." Susan laughed, moving a lock of hair behind her ear.

Emeth might have taken offence to that if anyone else had said it. He didn't much like being teased about talking poetry all the time. But when it came from Susan it was different he didn't feel made fun of when the tease came in such a sweet voice. He felt like laughing along with her.

"I suppose I am a man of many words just as you are a woman of many colors." He teased back eyeing her dress.

Lucy nearly gasped with surprise. Susan had actually gotten Emeth to tell a joke. No one else had be able to do that. And she claimed she didn't like him, yeah right. She decided she would give them some time alone.

"I'm going back to the castle." Lucy told them.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tumnus got quite a shock as he walked along the dewy slopes of the Narnian parts of Aslan's Country.

Eustace and Jill walking hand in hand with big goofy smiles on their faces. "Good Morning, Mr. Tumnus." they sang at the same time.

"Wait, what's going on?" Mr. Tumnus asked. "You're talking in unison walking around hand in hand..."

"Do you want to tell him?" Jill asked Eustace.

"No why don't you?" Eustace said, beaming at her.

"Well, Eustace and I..." Jill started looking back at Eustace. "...are sort of courting now."

"I'm so happy for you!" Tumnus told them.

Eustace and Jill beamed back at him happily. "You're the very first to know."

"I won't tell anyone." Mr. Tumnus assured them. "My lips are sealed." He tried to get overly excited but he couldn't help dancing about a little. They were so adorable together. "But when did this happen?"

"Well, we were trying to set up Emeth, so that we could set up Tirian with Lucy and well..." Eustace shook his head in confusion. "The only people that got together was...well us..." He stared off into space for a moment. "How weird..."

"I know, it's such a pity that King Tirian doesn't like Queen Lucy in that way." Mr. Tumnus sighed.

"What are you talking about?" Jill asked.

"Of course he had to like Queen Susan..." Mr. Tumnus shook his head in disappointment.

"Whoa, hold up!" Eustace gasped. "Tirian doesn't like Susan, he likes Lucy. And Lucy likes him."

"He told me that he likes the same girl as Emeth." Mr. Tumnus said.

Jill shrugged. "He think's Emeth and Lucy are in love or something."

"So I gave him advice, not to tell Queen Lucy how he feels?" Mr. Tumnus gasped feeling rather rotten.

Eustace and Jill nodded at the same time.

"I've got to go tell him!" Mr. Tumnus gasped. "This is great!" He took off at once as fast as his goat legs would carry him.

While this was going on, Tirian was sitting on a bench in the castle gardens by himself. He head a slight sound of someone clearing their throat and looked up to see Queen Lucy.

"Hello, Queen Lucy." He tried to sound cheerful but failed. How could he be cheerful when he couldn't even tell her how he felt. Why did she have to like Emeth? Why hadn't he spoken up sooner?

"Hello." She forced a smile. It was hard to smile a nobleman you liked when he had feelings for your sister. "Can I sit here?"

"Sure." He moved over to make some room for her.

"This is my second favorite place to think." Lucy told him. "It's so quiet here."

"Yeah it is." He said.

"Look, Tirian..." Lucy started. She wasn't going to tell him that she liked him but she at least wanted to assure him that she cared deeply about him as a friend. "I wanted to tell you that I really..."

Before she could finish speaking, Peter came seemingly out of no where, and sat between them on the bench. He had his sword in one hand and rag in the other.

"Peter, what are you doing?" Lucy demanded. Why couldn't her brother just relax? Tirian didn't even like her in that way.

"Cleaning my sword." He said, glaring at Tirian as he started polishing it. "You know..." he added slowly "Just in case."

"Ha ha ha." Lucy tried in vain to laugh it off. She was going to kill Peter for this one! This was without a doubt the most embarrassing moment of her life.

"Um, is there an upcoming fencing match I don't know about?" Tirian asked wondering what Peter was so wound up about.

"No, I just thought I might need it." He said sharply looking at Tirian and them back at Lucy. "If you know what I mean."

Lucy stood up and pulled her brother up with her. "We need to talk!"

"What's up Lu?" Peter asked innocently as soon as they were out of ear shot.

"Peter Pevensie! What are you doing?" Lucy demanded with her hands on her hips.

"Look, I really think Tirian's too old for you and I'm just keeping an eye on..." Peter started to explained.

"But cleaning your sword in front of him?" Lucy shot him a pleading look. "You're going to scare him."

Peter shrugged. "That was the idea."

"Peter, Tirian and I are just friends!" Lucy shouted a bit too loudly and Tirian actually heard that part.

Even though he knew they were just friends it still hurt a little to actually hear her say it. Tirian couldn't help but think. He sighed deeply. Oh well, it wasn't as if he'd ever thought he had a real chance with her.

Just then Mr. Tumnus came running into the garden with a very excited look on his face. "King Tirian, you won't believe what I just found out!"

Tirian didn't care but he thought it polite to respond. "What is it?"

"IthoughtyouweretalkingaboutSusanbutreallyyouweretalkingaboutthequeenLucyandshefeelsthesameway." Mr. Tumnus blurted out not noticing that Lucy and Peter were standing a few feet away.

"Huh?" Tirian hadn't gotten a word of that.

"Queen Lucy feels the same way about you as you feel about her." Mr. Tumnus said in a slower but also louder voice.

Lucy heard this and turned beet red, Did he just say what she thought he said? She wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

"What about Emeth?" Tirian asked.

"Of for the Lion's Sake!" Mr. Tumnus rolled his eyes. "She is not in love with Emeth!"

Lucy walked over to them as if in a daze. What was going to happen? Tirian turned and smiled at Lucy. He probably would've kissed her if he hadn't noticed Peter giving his sword an extra wipe.

"Lucy there's something I wanted to tell you." Tirian started.

"Ahem!" Peter coughed.

Lucy turned to Peter and gave him a small smile. "Peter, you're my big brother and I love you and I hope you don't take this the wrong way but..." Lucy really wanted him to get lost but didn't know how to tell him.

"Alright, fine." Peter said going back into the castle. "I can take a hint."

As soon as he was gone, Tirian took one of Lucy's hands in his. "Lucy, I have feelings for you and I think I may be in..." He quickly dropped her hand.

Lucy wanted to scream. "He's watching us from the window, isn't he?" She growled.

Tirian nodded.

"Does he still have his sword?"

"No, but he does have that cross bow a little to handy if you ask me." Tirian said.

Thankfully, Edmund pulled Peter away from the window so Tirian could finish talking to Lucy.

Tirian picked up Lucy's hand again. "I think I'm in love with you."

Lucy thought she would burst from happiness. "But I though you liked my sister..."

"Lucy, your sister is beautiful but she isn't you." Tirian told her gently. "I could never feel that way about her."

"Really?" Lucy asked.

"Really." He told her. He looked back at the window. "I'd kiss you but your brothers are still watching."

"Awwwwwwwww!" Edmund said from the window as Tirian put his arm around Lucy and they walked out of the garden . "That's so sweet."

"I'm going to kill him." Peter growled.

"What's that sound?" Edmund asked suddenly hearing an odd noise

"Mr. Tumnus." Peter rolled his eyes.

Mr. Tumnus was bawling his eyes out. "That's so beautiful." He blew his nose.

**AN: Sorry if this chapter wasn't my best. I've gotten a slight case of writter's block on this story for some reason. But do review! **


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